on everything from social/political commentary to sports and entertainment news. It all affects our thinking and our mentality has to change before we can change the world. *Posts are subject to frequent updates, so stay current!*

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Because I am now old enough to be friends with a lot of teachers/educators and those with such aspirations, I wanted to share this letter that I recently wrote to one Mr. Cedric Magee in the hopes that it will inspire.

Dear Mr. Magee,

I wanted to send you a personalized graduation invitation just to let you know how much you have meant to me over the years. I'll try to do so without taking up too much of your time. Due to a clerical error in the days before I was to start the 6th grade, I was not assigned a 6th grade teacher. Luckily, my mother and I had come to the school the Friday before classes began (as was our custom back then) and we had met a few of the teachers, including you. I had never had a male teacher before, so the choice was an easy one to make. Little did I know, it would turn out to be one of the best decisions of my life. I got much more than a male teacher when I joined your class. I got a friend, a mentor, an ally, and a role model. In a society that didn't resemble what my parents and spiritual leaders were steering me to become, I finally was able to see an example in action. From watching and closely following your lead, I began to realize that being a righteous gentleman was not only possible despite what others around me did, but it could be "cool," too (and that's a very important lesson for a young man to learn). I found that there is an appeal to be gained by being a respectful and respectable male (and an African-American male, at that) that is completely unmatched. Furthermore, I was able to see how much time, hope, and influence you invested in me and in my success (including a College Algebra book that you began to work through with me a bit as I prepared for the ACT that year; I wish I had used it more). Now that you are a principal, I know that your job may seem quite thankless as the young people, parents, and educators you seek to empower may not always realize the value of your work. For that reason, I'd like you to know that I appreciate who you are. Your integrity, your dignity, your hard work, and your unwavering consistency over the years are very valuable and rare personality traits which I strive to emulate every day. More importantly, I'd like to thank you for being my blueprint and to apologize for failing to tell you these things more often over the years. Most importantly, however, I hope this message provides some encouragement to continue to do what you've always done. I guarantee you that someone is watching you, patterning himself or herself after you, and will be able to reach great success in large part due to your influence and example. Thank you for adding value to my story.

About Me

Chris J The Genius is either a student at the University of Southern Mississippi, stand-up comedian, hip-hop enthusiast, philosopher/social commentator or a combination of the four depending on what time of day it is. He majors in both entrepreneurship and political science at USM, where he is quite active on campus. Hoping to positively impact the entire world with his thoughts, actions, and words, he spends a great deal of time considering the messages sent to and from society via mainstream media, politics, and the arts. The Genius would also like to thank God and his mama. The previous statement was meant as a joke, parodying rappers' award acceptance speeches, that didn't go over too well. Chris J The Genius has a father who saw it and got offended. He would therefore like to thank God and both of his parents.

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I like to add videos or direct quotes from entertainers, public speakers, comedians, rappers, etc. whenever possible. Sometimes they use language that I don't condone or say things that I wouldn't. Usually I either agree with what they said or how they said it, very rarely is it both. With that said, I do not censor their images or words because doing so would be slightly misrepresenting them. Please understand that their words are their words and my words are mine. I'm sure you will find that I don't need anyone to speak for me, I have quite enough to say all on my own.